Refrigerator and shelving therefor



Oct. 15, 1940. V c. c. PAPE 2,217,810 REFRI ERATOR ANDS'HELVINQ THEREFOR.

I Filed Oct. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l I Clare/ice 611 0726, MEN-TOR ATTORNEYS- Oct. 15,1940. PA E 2,217,810

REFRIGERATOR AND SHELVING THEREFOR Filed Oct. 21, 1938 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 apapgmfimo ATTORNEYS Get. 15, 1940. P 'PE 2,217,810

REFRIGERATOR AND SHELVING THEREFOR Filed Oct. 21. 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3' A rToRNE s Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED, STA ES FATE NT OFFICE REFR.IGERAT0R AND 'snEnvmo. THEREFOR I i Clarence C. Pape, West Allis, Wis. I llpplicationoctober 21, 1938, Serial No; 236,316

2 Claims. (a; 312-183) I This invention relates torefrigerators, and more particularly to the shelving thereof, It has also to do with the body or casing. I

One object is to improve the housing bodycor casing structure and also the external form so as to enhance the fanciful appearance thereof. r

The prime object of the invention, however, is to provides. practical and efilcient rotatable shelf structure for the interior of the body housing or casing, which is simple and compact, yet

strong and durable, and. at the same time is easily cleaned an" maintained in a sanitary condition.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages to be attained, as will hereinafter more fully appear, thefinvention consists in the novel, general structure and particular parts and combinations and arrangement. of parts thereof as hereinafter described and set forthin the ap- ;.ended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention and in which- J Figure 1. is a verticalsectional view of the housing body or casing and interior shelving arrangement;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line '2-2 of Figure 1; v

Figure 3 is a horizontal section'on'the line 3-3 of Figure 1';

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, said view being mainly in horizontal section taken substantially on the line '4.,-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectiongon a further enlarged scale, showing details of the frame structure-of a shelf unit: and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, View, in elevation, illustrating a portion of the supporting means for therespective shelf units. I

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral l designates the ,hollow base portion which supports the main body housing orfcasing 2 of a mechanical or electrical refrigerator havinga conventional freezing unit 3 inits. upper portion, the base portion I being obviously adapted to containthe motor, compressor and other parts v(not shown) usually provided in mechanical or electn'cal refrigerators. H

As shown, the housing or casing 2 is octagonal in external form, but, obviously, it may be made in any otherdesired polygonal form and even cylindrical. In any case, however, the interior of the housing or casing 2 is preferably cylindrical so as to provide equal annular spaces between the inner wall lining of thehousing or casing scheme and character '2 is obviously provided proximately that of. the doorfopening of the body housing or casing 2, preferably slightly and the respective circular shelves to be present-. ly more fully described. general form of the housing f The body housing or casing 2 is obviously provided with an outer metal shell 4 whichmay be enamelled or otherwise suitably coated and col- 5 oredin keepingwith the usual present day color of ornamentation, said outer shell being spaced from an inner lining 5 -with a suitable lnsulative filler6 therebetween, the. general structure being in v accordance with 1 5 The housing or casing, with a door'opening or openings in-the usual or desired location and of any approved practice.

a desired height, the door being indicated at l latch means as at I The shelving provision will now be describedf As shown, elongated vertical" plates ID are disin Figures 2 and 3, with hinges i ndicated at 8 and posed on the inner lining 5 of the body housing or casing at four crossed diametrically opposite points, said plates being of anofi-set .cross sectional-form, as shown more clearly in Fig'ure l, one longitudinal portion of each plate being riv- 'eted, as at H, or obviously welded to the face of the lining 5. p of the plate l0, inwardly from .The opposite longitudinal portion which is ofi-set a slight distance the lining 5,'is provided with a series of open-ended right angular orbayonet slots I2." Theslots 12 are provided to receivestud-like buttons l3 which are riveted or otherwise secured on a semi-circular'supporting member l4, said buttons projecting radially fromthe circumference of said member near its upper edge portion, as-shown more clearly'in Figure'5; the cylindrical body portions of said buttons beingof a diameter to slide readily into said slots I2 of the vertical supporting plates l0 and they may or may not be provided with headsI-S-at their outer ends, as desired. However, the heads l5 are preferably'provided, as" shown, in order to afiord a 40 more rigid attachment for the semi-circular member l4 onsaid vertical supports l0.

, Thegap between the ends of the semi-circular supporting member I4, one' of which is obviously provided for each shelf unit, is of a*width apwider so'that the end portions of said member I terminate in close proximityto' the vertical sides of the door opening whereby to afford ample-supporting lengthfor the rotatable shelves, to be presently describedand at the'same time avoid any transverse obstruction 'in the doorway. This also, permits convenient access to the rotatable shelf frame, to be later described, so'as to turn it on said semi-cylindrical supporting member l4. Each semi-circular member I4 is provided on the inside with a spaced pair of horizontal flanges I 6, H, which extend the entire length thereof, the lower flange i6, as shown, being fiush with the bottom edge of the member l4.

At four or more or less crossed diametrically opposite points, the semi-circular. member I4 is provided with correlated sets of three anti-friction rollers, one set being located near each end of the member [4 and the two other sets of rollers being located equi-distant between the two sets located at the respective ends of the member ll. Each set of rollers includes a roller l8 journalled on a pair of upstanding ears onthe lower flange l6 and an opposed roller is is likewise journalled on a pair of depending ears formed on the upper flange i1, while the third roller 2|] is journalled to rotate on a vertical axis on a pair of cars projected horizontally inward from the body of the member l4 midway between the rollers i8 and I9.

Mounted between the rollers and IS, with its periphery contiguous to the roller 20, is a ring member 2| which carries a circular shelf frame designated generally by the numeral 22, said shelf frame being positioned above the ring member 2| with its peripheral portion overhanging the upper flange ll of the semi-circular supporting member l4 and being circumferentially contiguous to the upper body portion of said semi-circular member 14 (see Figure 5). As shown, the respective shelf frames are fabricated from round rods or wires, the several pieces of which are obviously welded together or otherwise suitably attached, each frame including an upper ring member 23 constituting a guard rail which is supportedly attached to the upper ends of up-turned outer end portions 24 of radial base members 25,

which latter havesecured thereon a plurality of spaced concentric ring members 26 constituting the open bottoms of the shelf frames 22, the outermost bottom ring 26' being located in the angle where the extensions 24 are turned up from the radial base members 25 whereby to augment the upper ring member 23 in giving rigidity to the peripheral portion of the shelf frame.

The spacing support between the ring member 2| and the shelf frame 22 may comprise a continuous ring member 2], as shown in Figures 4 and 5, or, obviously, separate strut blocks or members may be provided at intervals on the ring member 2| directly beneath each of the radial base members 25 of the'shelf frame, and in either case the partsmay be rigidly fastened together by tie-bolts or pins 2a which are inserted through aligned openings provided therefor in the members 2|, 25 and 21, said bolts or pins 28 being riveted at their opposite ends (see Figure 5). In this connection it is also obvious that instead of bolting or pinning the' parts together, as just abovedescribed, the attachment may be effected by a welding process as well as the other parts of the fabricated shelf structure.

From the foregoing it is clearly apparent that a practical, light weight, yet strong and durable sanitary shelf structure is produced which is readily placed at the desired elevation within the refrigerator and at the same time, in addition to. affording maximum storage space and convenient access to the articles: on the shelf, is

removable, all without interfering with the proper air circulation within the housing or casing of the refrigerator.

In placing the respective shelf units, including the semi-circular members 14, in the refrigerator,

it is only necessary to first insert the units edgewise and substantially vertically through the door opening and then turn the unit to a horizontal position, at the desired elevation, and then turn the unit to engage the buttons II in the respective bayonet slots I2 of the vertical supports ID, with the gap between the ends of said semi-circular member l4 adjacent the opposite sides of the door opening, as indicated in Figure 4. With the member ll thus supported in the position shown, the shelf frame is rotatable to any desired position on the sets of supporting rollers l8, I9 and 20, so as to conveniently place articles upon the shelf or remove the articles therefrom, as the case may be.

As shown, the shelf frame 22 of the uppermost unit is provided with an enlarged central opening 29 (see Figures 1 and 2), in order that said unit may be positioned at an elevation on the upper portions of the vertical supporting members III to surround the freezing unit 3, should it be so desired. The lower shelf frames 22 have their series of concentric bottom rings 26 continue to the immediate centre of the shelf, in which case, of course, the radial base members 25 have their inner ends extended accordingly and secured to the innermost ring member (see Figure 3).

While a practical adaptation of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is obvious that considerable modification and alteration may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is notlimited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator, including a housing body having an entrance in its side wall, shelving provision comprising elongated vertical supports located in spaced parallel relationon the inner side wall portions of the housing body, said vertical supports having offset portions extending the length thereof and provided with longitudinal series ,of bayonet slots, and shelving units each comprising a circular shelf frame having an open supporting bottom, a circumferential supporting member, a plurality of roller elements arranged at intervals on the inside of said supporting member in separate sets of three rollers each, each set including a pair of spaced vertically opposed rollers and a peripheral thrust roller located outwardly from said spaced pair of rollers and rotatable on a vertical axis in a horizontal plane between said pair of rollers, a horizontal ring member located with its peripheral portion between the vertically opposed pair of rollers of each set,

said ring member in spaced relation thereabo ve,

and radially projected buttons on the periphery of said circumferential supporting member for engagement in the bayonet slots in said vertical supports.

2. A shelving unit for refrigerators, comprising a circumferential support having provision on its periphery for detachably mounting it on supporting means within the refrigerator housing body, a plurality of roller elements arranged on the inside of said circumferential support in cooperatively spaced sets of three rollers each, each set including a pair of spaced vertically opposed rollers and a peripheral thrust roller located outtatable on a vertical axis in a horizontal plane between said pair of rollers, a horizontal ring member located with its peripheral portion between the vertically opposed pair of rollers of each set and circumlerentially contiguous to the respective peripheral thrust rollers of the several sets, a circular shelf frame mounted on said horizontal ring member in spaced relation thereabove, said shelf frame comprising radial base members having up-turned outer end, portions, concentric ring members secured on said radial base members and constituting an open bottom for the shelf, and a ring member secured on the upper ends of said up-turned end portions of the radial base members. v

CLARENCE C. PAPE. 

